


Indigestion, Expired Milk and Sasuke

by Mass_Effecting_Your_Pants



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Awkwardness, Humor, M/M, Misunderstandings, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-08
Updated: 2013-03-08
Packaged: 2017-12-04 16:04:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/712540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mass_Effecting_Your_Pants/pseuds/Mass_Effecting_Your_Pants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto/Sasuke. "Of course!" Sasuke deadpanned. "I can totally understand how you could confuse nausea derived from consuming off dairy products for locking lips with someone you find attractive. Yeah, Naruto, totally."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Indigestion, Expired Milk and Sasuke

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on fanfiction.net under the following:-
> 
> Title: Indigestion, Expired Milk and Sasuke  
> Category: Anime/Manga » Naruto  
> Author: Mass Effecting Your Pants  
> Language: English, Rating: Rated: M  
> Genre: Romance/Humor  
> Published: 05-08-08, Updated: 05-08-08  
> Chapters: 1, Words: 6,144

Naruto darted a glance over his shoulder as he leapt over the buildings of the village, feeling somewhat guilty. Sasuke had been acting a little weird over the past couple of months, but even more so these last few weeks. Naruto felt awful about it but had resorted to avoiding his friend nevertheless.  
  
Honestly, he liked hanging around with Sasuke. When they weren't fighting or flinging insults at each other they got along well enough. Plus Sasuke was one of the few people who didn't complain when Naruto made him pay for his ramen, which had surprised him initially – though he quickly recovered from his shock and proceeded to take full advantage of the Uchiha's wallet.  
  
But he was waiting for the explosion. The so-called genius must have realised that Naruto was avoiding him, and he was waiting for Sasuke to catch up with him eventually. Maybe he was just exacerbating whatever the issue was in the first place, though Naruto sure as hell didn't know what was making the other teen act so weird.  
  
He couldn't even seek solace in Sakura or Kakashi since his teammate was busy at the medical centre and his sensei was needed for an ANBU mission. However the upside to this was that Naruto didn't have to see Sasuke for training for a while, which made avoiding him all the more easier. This caused another stab of guilt, since even when Sakura and Kakashi were busy, he and Sasuke would still meet for a spar or even swimming in lieu of training. Naruto wondered how many times Sasuke waited for him to show over the last week before not bothering to turn up at all.  
  
He leapt to the street below as this thought refused to budge, guilt mingling with a little self-hatred for the way he was treating his friend.

_I would hate it if Sasuke did this to me._

Naruto sighed. No matter how uncomfortable Sasuke's weirdness made him feel sometimes, this was no way to treat his friend.  
  
He glanced up at the sky, estimating that if his teammate was still waiting for him at their team's meeting place of a morning, he ought to be there still. Not that he expected him to be, but it was a good starting point.  
  
Naruto walked slowly to the bridge with his eyes riveted to the ground in front of his feet, taking as long as he could to delay reaching their meeting spot but getting there too fast for his liking anyway. He glanced up, only to lock eyes with Sharingan.  
  
Naruto's stomach plummeted. It was too much to hope that Sasuke hadn't noticed his sudden avoiding of him, and that he wouldn't be pissed about it. He was fairly certain that he had never seen his friend so angry at him.

"Uh…hey, Sasuke," Naruto managed under the blood-red death glare.

It occurred to him that his teammate had indeed been coming every morning to the bridge, and this realisation did little to stem the guilt he was feeling.

"Um…so-"

"Where have you been?"

Naruto averted his eyes as his friend glared at him. Sasuke's voice was quiet and level, which would have done little to comfort him anyway but now the Sharingan refused to fade. Yes, Sasuke was very angry.

"Uhhh…I slept in-"

"I don't just mean today," Sasuke interrupted, barely raising his voice.

And Naruto knew what his teammate had meant but didn't know where to start in apologising for being a bastard. So, instead, he didn't say anything. With how angry Sasuke was, saying 'sorry I was avoiding you 'cause you were acting a little weird' seemed to have no weight anyway.  
  
Naruto's eyes snapped up when Sasuke suddenly gripped his upper arm tightly and shook him.

"Hey-"

"Where. Have. You. Been."

Naruto could feel his temper rise quickly with the physical display of anger; something he may have inadvertently picked up from Iruka, but more likely the kyuubi's unintentional influence.

"Let go, bastard! Why do you care if I've been avoiding you all week?!"

"Avoiding me..?"

"You've been acting _weird_!"

"Weird…I hope- didn't think you had noticed. I guess I can explain if you shut up for a second, usuratonkachi," Sasuke's eyes had reverted to their usual obsidian, not that Naruto appeared to notice.

"Shut up! Shut up! That's all you tell me to do-"

"Naruto, if you shut up for a second-"

"You're always saying how annoying and loud I am so you should have _loved_ the peace and qu-"

Naruto was swiftly cut off as Sasuke grabbed his face with his free hand, thumb digging in to his right cheek and fingers gripping his left as Sasuke's palm effectively silenced him. Naruto's first instinct was to free himself, but his friend wasn't also his rival for nothing.  
  
His attempts to get out of his predicament verged on frantic as Sasuke tightened his grip painfully, making his eyes water.

"Goddammit, Naruto! Will you just listen to me for once!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes furiously before kicking out his foot hard in to the other's shin, causing Sasuke to loosen his grip enough for him to free himself.

"That hurt, you bastard!" Naruto growled as he poked his cheeks carefully. "What the hell is your prob-"

"I like you!" Sasuke yelled angrily, rubbing his abused shin.

A moment later his head fell in to his hands, which, Naruto thought, had more to do with what he had just yelled than the pain in his shin. Even so, what his teammate meant didn't pierce Naruto's brain, though it had silenced him.

"Fuck, well, I said it now, didn't I?" Sasuke muttered, avoiding Naruto's eyes when he finally looked up. "I like you. That's why I’ve been acting…weird, as you say. I didn't know what to…do."

Naruto sort of understood, but didn't. He understood what his friend was saying. What wasn't adding up was the Sasuke-liking-Naruto part.

"You…like…me..? You've got an awfully fucked up way of showing it."

Sasuke sighed. "Usuratonkachi, you want me to repeat myself? This is bad enough as it is."

The familiar pet insult tore Naruto out of his thoughts. "What?! You say you like me but you're always so-"

"Mean? A bastard? An asshole?" Sasuke supplied without humour, finally looking his friend in the eye.

Then Naruto understood, but that didn't make him sympathetic. "Pushing me away was hardly gonna help! Hell, I don't even want to know what it would be like if you lov-"

He quickly silenced himself, realising just what he was talking about and why. This caused him to stare at the other teen, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"You _like_ like me?"

Sasuke shoved his hands deep in to his pockets, glaring at the ground. "If this conversation is just going to go around in circles, then forget I even said anything."

"But even if I 'forget' you said something like that," Naruto began with a frown. "You're still going to be weird around me, aren't you?"

Sasuke flushed slightly at Naruto’s infrequently accurate insight. "It's not like I form these kind of…attachments…easily or regularly. Or ever."

"But…why me?"

"I often wonder as well," Sasuke snorted, kicking his heel in to the ground to redirect his embarrassment.

Naruto frowned and looked away.

Sasuke sighed. "I mean, I don't know why…you. I just…"

Naruto crossed his arms as he echoed his teammate's sigh. He just got a glimpse in to what a relationship could be like with his socially retarded friend and it wasn't particularly promising…and then it clicked that they were both boys and isn't that sort of thing not quite right?

"I'm a guy."

Sasuke stared at Naruto, clearly making a conscious effort to bite back a retort of some kind, before he looked to the side with a frown. "Does it bother you then?"

"No, not really," he answered honestly. "I've never really thought about it...never considered it… you know? It's not like anyone – guy _or_ girl – has shown an interest in me."

"Would you consider it?"

Naruto didn't answer immediately; this was rather sudden and new territory for him which required some deliberation. From what he knew of the other teen, he wasn't sure Sasuke could be what he wanted from someone special.

"You- you're not very nice to me…though," Naruto began hesitantly. "And you don't really talk about…anything."

Sasuke frowned but said nothing. Naruto drew a quick breath and continued his reasons for rejection.

"And you don't seem like you would, um…be close to another person…sort of thing. And…we don't have a good past between us, really, do we…"

Sasuke’s frown deepened. "Naruto, if you’re telling me that you are _not_ going to consider it, just _say_ it already. It's not really fair to rub all that in, as true as it is."

Naruto sighed. He knew he should just say 'No' and get it over with, but he hadn't ever had to let someone down before…it was harder and more awkward than he thought.

"Okay," he began slowly, but his friend didn't let him finish.

"Really?"

Sasuke's shoulders relaxed as he ran a hand through his hair to hide his relief. Naruto thought briefly that it only emphasised it, until he suddenly realised that Sasuke thought he had agreed.

"Wait, Sasuke, I…"

But Naruto trailed off when Sasuke smiled. Honest to God, he thought he glimpsed teeth.

"I didn't think you were going to say- with what you were-" Sasuke groaned quietly at himself as he rubbed a hand over his face.

Naruto forgot for a moment why his teammate was acting the way he was, and just marvelled at this different Sasuke who was unsure and…happy? _Yeah, happy,_ Naruto thought. He had never seen a smile like that from his friend.

They stood silently for a while in the morning sun on the bridge, Naruto wondering why he hadn't corrected Sasuke's assumption and Sasuke wondering how he ought to make a good start on something so important and potentially fragile.

* * *

****_Two Weeks Later_ ** **

* * *

Not much had really changed, Naruto thought as he and Sasuke sat in silence at Ichiraku's.  
  
Sure, Sasuke didn't call him an idiot quite as often but that seemed to be due to the fact that his teammate talked even less around him. By unspoken agreement they had kept the situation secret, not giving even Sakura or Kakashi a reason for their silence around each other.  
  
Naruto shoved at his ramen half-heartedly, wondering for the umpteenth time why the hell he was still doing this. Sasuke was his friend, but now they were barely speaking to each other even though they met together everyday. It wasn't just Sasuke's fault, he admitted to himself. He didn't know what he was supposed to do _because_ it was Sasuke.  
  
Naruto turned to face his teammate.

"Sasuke, this isn't working. We should just forget about it."

Well that's what he had been planning to say, but Sasuke was looking at him with an almost…resigned expression…like he knew what Naruto was thinking. It was hard to tell. And that made him think that maybe this was his fault. He was the one who was considering the invitation, so Sasuke wouldn't want to make him uncomfortable.  
  
It also occurred to Naruto that Sasuke had never had a close relationship with anyone before…so neither of them knew what the hell they needed to do. He sighed. _What would I do if Sasuke was a girl?_ Naruto thought. _Maybe eat out somewhere nice and then see a movie._ But he couldn't think of something _worse_ to do with Sasuke.  
  
If they went to dinner it would be beyond awkward, and he didn't have a clue what sort of movies his teammate liked. Then Naruto had an idea. He wasn't sure if it was a _good_ idea, but he figured he ought to make an attempt at what they were doing if Sasuke didn't know how to.

"Hey, um, Sasuke," Naruto felt a little nervous suddenly, and pushed his cold ramen around his bowl as a slight distraction. "I was thinking…maybe after training tomorrow…instead of coming to Ichiraku's…we could do something different..?"

His teammate didn't say anything so he pushed on with much less courage.

"I had an idea…if you wanted to meet me at the bridge maybe… after training..?"

Naruto heard Sasuke exhale slowly, and he wondered if the other teen had been holding his breath.

"Sure."

Naruto smiled. "Hah, good."

The atmosphere wasn't quite as bad after that, Naruto thought.

After training the next day, Naruto scooted back to his apartment, but not before reminding Sasuke to wait for him at their meeting place. He had woken up extra early before meeting with his team to prepare several things, but now he had to set up the rest before heading back to the bridge.  
  
He grabbed what he had organised earlier and hurried to his destination, giving where he knew Sasuke to be waiting for him a wide berth. He wondered if he might be going overboard with what he had prepared for his friend, but pushed the thought away as he landed on the ground a little awkwardly.  
  
He glanced around the area quickly and nodded to himself. _Perfect_. Naruto carefully set up what he had brought and stood back to admire his work. With a slight smile he went to meet Sasuke.

His teammate was leaning against the bridge railing but stood when he noticed Naruto.

"Hey, where have-"

Naruto grabbed the teen's wrist and pulled him along excitedly. "Come on, come on! I don't want it to get spoiled!"

Sasuke didn't say anything after that, and was quiet until the pair reached a small clearing beside Konoha's river. Beneath a large overhanging tree was a simple picnic prepared on a bright orange sheet. Sasuke stared.

"So, so, what do you think?" Naruto asked happily, hands folded behind his head as he waited for his friend to comment.

But Sasuke only stared.

"You…don't like it?" he faltered, his grin fading. "Ah, I know it's not much, but come and taste what I made."

Naruto pulled Sasuke to the picnic, tugging him down to kneel on the sheet beside him. As he unpacked the food he had brought, he explained what each one was to fill in the lengthening silence.

"Well I didn't know if you liked dango, but I do. And scary Anko told me of this great place to get it on the main street so I didn't make these. But I made the rice balls, and I know you like them…"

Naruto trailed off with a sigh. He picked up a piece of sushi and bit in to it half-heartedly, not really tasting it. _Sasuke doesn't like it._ He had gone to quite a bit of effort to buy the ingredients he needed and prepare everything before training.

"Naruto."

Naruto had been gazing at the river without really seeing, but turned to Sasuke at his name. He stared at the smile he hadn't seen for two weeks.

"I do like it," Sasuke continued eventually as he carefully selected a rice ball from the small pile. "Thank you."

"Well," Naruto huffed, pouting slightly. "Well…you should've said so earlier."

Naruto had felt completely certain that the picnic he had prepared for Sasuke had meant a definite step forward or a milestone or _something_ , but he felt nothing had changed at all _still_.  
  
And did he want anything to change, he wondered as he strolled home after a team mission several days later. Why was he still doing this…whatever _this_ was?  
  
Suddenly and without warning it finally sunk in to his brain that Sasuke thought him to be more precious than a mere friend or teammate. And this scared the absolute shit out of him.  
  
Naruto froze in the middle of the road, petrified by the thought that should have been clear from the very start.

_What the fuck am I DOING?!_

He had never considered his male teammate in 'that way' before but here he was, effectively urging Sasuke on.

_What the fuck am I THINKING?!_

He wasn't just encouraging Sasuke to take more of an interest in him, he was indicating that he could reciprocate with the same feelings.

_WHAT the FUCK am I DOING?!_

Naruto forced himself to calm down and think about the situation with a rational sense of mind. He began walking home again, realising he was attracting strange glances with standing in the middle of the street for no apparent reason.  
  
He considered his position, furrowing his brow in thought. Would it be so bad deepening and changing his bond with Sasuke? The other teen was his friend – best friend – so would it be wrong to make him more special? _But that's what makes your most precious person different from everyone else…you feel something deep in your heart for them._ Naruto knew this kind of thing not from experience, but from listening to Sakura gush about Rock Lee.  
  
He knew Sakura had, quite frankly, detested the idea of Lee pursuing her. But, Naruto grinned, here they were five years after their very first meeting, in love and throwing around the notion of marriage and family. Lee had persevered where Naruto himself had given up and, as an invaluable reward for his ceaseless efforts, had won the medic kunoichi over.  
  
Naruto smiled as he remembered the countless declarations of love Lee had shouted, and continued to shout, to the world. Though his grin quickly faded as his thoughts turned to whether he could feel something so deep for his other teammate. What made two hearts decide they should intertwine, Naruto wondered. How could he look at Sasuke differently when they had always been friends? _When did Sasuke begin to look at me differently? How? What changes? Does anything_ really _change?_

"Naruto."

Naruto wasn't sure about anything which made him wonder…how could Sasuke himself be sure of _like_ liking him.

"Naruto?"

What helped you to _know_?

"Oi! Naruto!"

Naruto blinked. "Whaa?"

Sasuke stared at him with a slight smirk and a raised brow. "Thinking too hard? I said your name five times."

"Oh," he scratched the back of his head with an apologetic grin. "I guess I was sort of out of it."

"Mm."

Naruto fidgeted as the pair stood in the street. It was always so awkward all of the time since Sasuke's accidental confession, even after the picnic. He didn't understand why.  
  
Their conversations outside of missions had been suddenly and unexplainably limited to the weather and what the rest of their friends were up to; Naruto didn't know what to talk about anymore. Never had he run in to the problem of fishing desperately for topics of conversation before these past few weeks.  
  
And he was suddenly conscious of how totally conscious he was of not touching Sasuke, not even bumping elbows when they ate at Ichiraku's. Why was that? Even though Naruto didn't want anything to change, he was making things change anyway.  
  
But what was he _supposed_ to do? Nobody had flat out told him that they were interested in him before. _Maybe…maybe I should look at Sasuke differently from now on. Not as Sasuke-bastard-teammate-friend-rival…but Uchiha Sasuke, the person who likes me._ Naruto scrunched his face up at the thought, unsure if he could shift his perception so drastically.

"Naruto?"

_Maybe I should start off a little less ambitiously than that._

"Naaaruuutooo..?"

_I know I like Sasuke as a person, but what about his looks. A lot of the girls reckon he's the best looking guy in the village…do I think he's attractive?_ Naruto suddenly focused on his teammate intently, causing Sasuke to shift slightly under the scrutiny.

"Usuratonkachi, what's with you?"

"I'm just figuring out if I think you're hot," Naruto cocked his head to the side, considering.

Sasuke flushed slightly at this unabashed admission, shoving his hands in his pockets as a weak distraction. "…And..?"

Naruto gazed at the face before him in a way he had never viewed it before, noticing for the first time that his friend had a small scar under his right eye and in the middle of his chin. _I can't remember how or where he would have got those from._ Then he noticed how incredibly dark those sometimes fearsome eyes were. _Hahh, I always thought black was a cold colour, but Sasuke's eyes aren't cold at all._ Naruto's stare dropped to the other teen's mouth as he recalled having accidentally kissed the other boy in their Academy years, though it had been quick, awful and unwanted at the time. _If I kissed him now, would it be different?_ In Naruto's mind, a kiss seemed to be the best way to decide whether he should be continuing this thing with his friend. _The kiss in the Academy was, to be honest, disgusting. If it's still disgusting now, then that pretty much screams that we should stop this before it goes any further._ He nodded to himself; it made perfect sense.  
  
He stepped closer to Sasuke, who had been avoiding meeting his eyes rather successfully, though he looked up at the other teen's movement. Naruto leaned forward to capture a paralysed Sasuke’s lips in a brief kiss, quite forgetting they were in the middle of the road.  
  
He pulled away after a moment, more disappointed than he was expecting to be. He had hoped he would feel something. Sakura had spoke of a feeling in the stomach, and maybe even below, along with something in the heart even if it wasn't love. But Naruto felt none of this.  
  
He sighed in disappointment, making a move to further himself from his friend.

"That's not fair," Sasuke said suddenly, quietly. "You took me by surprise. You can't base any decision on that."

It was Naruto's turn to be shocked as Sasuke pressed his lips to his slightly open mouth. He felt a hand in his hair and another behind his neck, pulling him forward further to mould their mouths around each other. Something tugged at Naruto's insides making him feel sick and yet not, fluttery and even slightly feverish, as his own hands grounded him by finding purchase in dark hair and Sasuke’s shirt collar.  
  
Both boys were suddenly and inconveniently reminded that they needed to breathe and parted to suck in what air had been deprived. Naruto's grip on his friend’s shirt loosened slightly when Sasuke sighed.

"Huh," Sasuke breathed as his hand fell out of Naruto's hair to cover the tan one fisting his collar.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed softly. "I felt- in my belly and chest- I felt…what did I feel..?"

Sasuke smiled the smile Naruto was beginning to really like. "What I hoped you would."

Naruto frowned a little. What he had felt sort of reminded him about the time he drank expired milk.

"Maybe I ate something bad."

Sasuke blinked slowly, dropping his hands as he stepped away. "What?"

"Indigestion maybe. I shouldn't have gone to the training field after eating I'd say."

"Right," Sasuke said flatly, face void of any expression.

No expression, in Naruto's experience with his teammate, generally meant the opposite in that he was probably really angry or about to yell at the other teen because he was really angry. He figured he'd try and save his skin while he had the chance. _Sasuke's probably gonna blow his top about my eating habits again; he's always saying I need to eat properly if I want to be of any use as a ninja._

"Sorry, sorry, Sasuke," Naruto lifted his hands in appeal with a grin. "I won't do it again."

Truth be told, he knew how much of a bad idea it was to train straight after eating. Sasuke had lectured him about the repercussions numerous times, as had Sakura. But eating and training were two of Naruto's favourite hobbies, so it was only natural that doing them close together was fine by him.  
  
Naruto's apology, however, made Sasuke's eyes flicker. That worried Naruto quite a lot in that it meant Sasuke wanted to activate his Sharingan but was trying really hard not to…which was indicative that he had passed _really angry_ and was flying toward _irate enough to maim_.  
  
Naruto certainly didn't want to be around for _that_ party, but he got the feeling he was the guest of honour. He smiled again, a little nervously. Sasuke's eyes flickered a second time.

"You think this is funny?" he hissed suddenly. "This is all just some big, hilarious joke to you?"

The only time Naruto found Sasuke funny was when he was styling his hair, and that one time when he had walked around all day with the 'I lyke it wen u tuch my ass' sign Naruto had quite skilfully attached to his back. That had been one of the best days of Naruto’s life, right up there with when he won a week's supply of instant ramen.  
  
But right now Naruto wasn't laughing. Sasuke was beyond pissed and Naruto felt rather indignant. _Big deal, I ate before training. So what?!_ However, Naruto didn't feel much like a fight, not after the past couple of weeks. Sasuke had been civil and nice, and Naruto rather liked it when the other teen smiled.  
  
So he took a relaxing breath, and decided to give civil and nice a go too by agreeing with his teammate that yes, eating before training isn't good for the body.

"Okay," Naruto sighed. "Sorry, Sasuke. It's bad and makes me sick. I won't do it anymore."

What he wasn't expecting was his friend to stare at him with naked shock and hurt before disappearing.  
  
And then Naruto realised quite a lot of things in the few seconds immediately following that moment. One, he was the biggest idiot in Konoha, and Naruto instantly forgave anyone who ever pointed out this fact. Two, he may have been talking – stupidly – about training after eating, but Sasuke most certainly wasn't. Three, he had just done something he had never done before and didn't feel even slightly proud about it…and that something was hurting Sasuke. Four, hurting Sasuke hurt himself a fuckload more than Naruto could ever expect. Five, to be painfully honest if indigestion felt like that Naruto would drink out of date milk all the freaking time.

Naruto didn't stand still particularly long, instead transporting to where he hoped Sasuke had gone. He ran through the gates of the, for the most part, desolate Uchiha compound toward the only occupied abode. Team Seven had met enough times at Sasuke's house for Naruto to know which room was his teammate's, and sprinted straight for it, not bothering with the pleasantries of knocking and removing his shoes.

"SAS-oof!"

Sasuke had of course heard and felt Naruto's approach, and greeted him with a fist to the stomach accordingly.

"Fuck off," Sasuke suggested, his tone chilly.

Naruto might have considered it, but he didn't have the breath to reply let alone leave. After a few deep breaths to recover, he finally looked up from his comfortable position on the ground, his stomach instantly twisting.  
  
Sasuke's face was blotchy and his eyes glassy, and just from looking at how much he had upset him, Naruto began talking and couldn't stop.

"Oh fuck I'm so sorry Sasuke I'm such a fucking idiot but you always said that but now we both know it because god I'm such a moron and I was actually talking about eating before training and that hardly even makes sense now that I really think about it but when I said that I wouldn't do it anymore and that it makes me sick I was talking about eating before training which is really stupid but you and Sakura always told me that and god I feel stupid and I'm so fucking sorry I hurt you because I hate seeing you upset like this and I did it didn't I and it hurts that I hurt you so I suppose I deserve it but kissing you felt fucking awesome and not at all like drinking off milk and I'd like to do it again because it wasn't at all like when we accidentally kissed in the Academy because that was seriously awful back then but what I mean is now I really like you and I like it when you smile and you know you've got this awesome smile but I've only seen it like three times but I want to see it everyday but you probably don't care since I'm such an ass and a huge freaking idiot and I'm so goddamn sorry about being such an idiot and I want you to know that this isn't funny since it's not a joke so why the fuck are you laughing?!"

Naruto had managed to climb to his feet at some point and now stood before Sasuke, whose shoulders were shaking with silent laughter, feeling incredibly uncertain and rather vulnerable.

"I know it's not funny," Sasuke managed to wheeze after a moment. "I don't know why I'm laughing."

This fact didn't seem to quell his hysterics in the slightest, but Naruto thought of something that might.  
  
He rushed forward and grabbed Sasuke's face firmly with both hands, pressing his lips against the other's gasping mouth. Naruto pulled away and came back just as quickly; Sasuke's mouth, he decided, was quite delicious. Sasuke seemed to find Naruto equally appealing and pulled him as close as possible, catching his breath and angling his mouth to get as much of this delectable taste as he could.  
  
Naruto's heart hammered wildly against his chest, not just beating like a crazy drum but singing like a goddamn orchestra. And he could feel Sasuke's heart pounding out the same rhythm, and Naruto knew. He knew that this is exactly what Sakura spoke of. It wasn't love but he could feel in the kiss that it would only be a matter of time. And not an altogether long time at that.  
  
He could already feel the heat of desire creeping over him, recognising it for what it was purely because he had never felt it before. Not wanting to ruin the kiss by dry humping the other teen like a frenzied dog, Naruto gently pulled away.  
  
Sasuke had other ideas and appeared as though he would be rather receptive to ruining the moment. Since this was the case, Naruto decided that it would be more of a progression of the moment than anything else, and fell backwards easily when Sasuke pushed him on to the bed.  
  
He pulled Sasuke close again, his hands on his waist, in his hair, skimming the other teen's sides, unable to stay in one place when they wanted to be everywhere. Then Naruto's hips jerked quite involuntarily, but the result was incredible. Sasuke accidentally bit his lip but neither of the ninja minded with the way they both moaned, learning quickly and pleasurably that hips moving was good.  
  
After some trial and error, the boys found a pace that had Naruto panting, knowing he wasn't far. Their kisses became messy, breathy as their movements sped up. Sasuke’s breaths were uneven and loud, and he muffled his moans against Naruto's neck and fuck, if that wasn't the hottest thing ever to Naruto as Sasuke shivered and jerked as he came, sending him over the edge with his own drawn out sigh and fit of pleasure. They lay still, catching their breath and collecting their senses as Naruto realised he would have to walk home with wet boxershorts.

"Was that anything like drinking expired milk?" Sasuke asked eventually, tipping his body off of Naruto's but staying close.

"No, funnily enough," Naruto mused with a grin. "Who would have thought, hey?"

Sasuke smirked. "Just so you know, after today there's no way I can stop calling you _usuratonkachi_."

Naruto sighed heavily. "I understand and I accept my fate."

"And eating before you train…it'll be the death of you."

"Oh I know."

"Sakura and I have warned you many times so it won't be our fault."

"Of course not."

"…You're going to keep doing it, aren't you?"

"Most likely, yes."

"Usuratonkachi," Sasuke shook his head, but the smile that Naruto had been waiting for peeked out.

Naruto chuckled but sobered quickly, realising something important happily.

"We're back to normal," he declared, pinning Sasuke with a bright blue gaze. "We're not talking about the weather or what Ino and Shikamaru are doing on their week off. Geez, why'd you have to make things all weird before?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. " _I_ made things weird? Who was the one who mistook kissing for _indigestion_? That's rather bruising to one's ego I might add."

Naruto flushed, faltering. "Hey! I was…just confused is all!"

"Of course!" Sasuke deadpanned. "I can totally understand how you could confuse nausea derived from consuming off dairy products for locking lips with someone you find attractive. Yeah, Naruto, totally."

And Naruto couldn't help but grin, because things had changed but it was somehow still the same; however that was completely fine by him and Sasuke appeared just as comfortable with it. Naruto thought that this was how it ought to be. How he felt about Sasuke was going to morph in to something bigger, something amazing, Naruto could feel it. And that was change that he could most certainly deal with.  
  
He and Sasuke would still fight and argue; he understood that because they were so different. But this was balanced with teasing and hanging out together and being friends, rivals and teammates who pushed each other to be the best they could. Naruto knew what the pair of them had was, for lack of a better word, special.  
  
Perhaps a little confusing at times, downright hilarious at others, but extraordinary nonetheless. And that wouldn't change because it was something that had always been there between them.

Naruto figured everything was fine, plus now he knew why Sasuke shouted him ramen with little to no complaint…and also why he sought out his friend rather than Iruka to pay for said ramen. Yes, he decided, nothing was really going to change if they didn't want it to.

**Author's Note:**

> **Usuratonkachi - Moron of morons, total moron. Sasuke's 'pet' nickname for Naruto. I like it more than dobe...


End file.
